KFBCA Top 11: Dylan Edwards

The Kansas Football Coaches Association picked their All-State teams on December 4th and 5th, including their All-Class Top 11. Kansas Pregame is providing capsules for each of the Top 11 selections. Check out Derby High running back Dylan Edwards' capsule below, the first of the KFBCA Top 11 capsules for 2022.

Dylan Edwards, RB, 5-9, 165, Derby High School

Derby’s Dylan Edwards put together one of the all-time great high school careers in Kansas history and possibly the most productive in the storied history of Panther football. The speedy back totalled 8,380 all-purpose yards with 109 touchdowns and was a member of two state championship teams while never finishing outside of the top four as prep baller. In all, Derby totalled 42 wins and just six losses during Edwards’ time in Green.

Edwards was instrumental on the Panthers’ 2020 state championship team, sharing a backfield with quarterback, and fellow DI talent Lem Wash – who is now in the transfer portal after two years at Tennessee Tech – and again was key in their state runner-up finish in his junior campaign in 2021.

This season saw the Panthers finish 9-3, with one loss in a highly touted mid-season matchup against Avery Johnson – a good friend of Edwards – and eventual 5A state runner-up Maize, 52-51. The other two losses against eventual 6A state champs Manhattan were also hard-fought heartbreakers, the first a 26-23 OT loss in the season opener and the second a 28-23 loss in the state semifinals. 

Despite the losses, Edwards totalled 363 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in those matchups with Manhattan, leaving his opposition impressed with the uber-talented athlete.

“We have played against Dylan since his freshman year,” Manhattan coach Joe Schartz said. “He is extremely fast and always had the ability to score anytime he touched the ball. No lead was ever safe because Dylan always had the ability to score in one play. He was a great kick returner so we always had to kick away from him. He was a weapon out of the backfield catching the ball as well. The best word to describe him is ‘electric.’”

In his senior season, Edwards electrified defenses with 1,900 rushing yards and 32 TDs on 203 carries, caught 15 passes for 227 yards and 3 TDs, and returned a punt and a kick for touchdowns.

It was well-known Edwards was going to see a multitude of touches each week, as a junior he gained 2,603 yards with 38 touchdowns, and as a sophomore 1,833 yards and 25 TDs. While this year's numbers fell off a bit from his junior campaign, Edwards presence alone was a concern for the defense and a boon for his teammates, particularly quarterback Brock Zerger who gained over 1,000 yards both on the ground and through the air.

“We knew going into every game that every opposing defense's top priority was to shut down Dylan,” head coach Brandon Clark said. “It really helped our play-action pass and also our quarterback-run game.”

Not only does Edwards have the physical tools - 4.35 laser timed 40 - he’s also intelligent, and dedicated to his craft.

“Dylan is a student of the game,” Clark said. “He really has done a good job of understanding what defenses are trying to do, and to be able to react to that. He has great vision and instinct.” 

The four-star running back has received considerable attention from award committees and hopeful colleges throughout his career.

As a junior Edwards earned Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, was chosen an Under Armour All-American, and over his career is a three-time All-State running back. 

Edwards has also been the target of some of the best programs in the nation over the last three years, with dozens of offers from Power 5 college football teams. Previously committed to Notre Dame, after sorting through his options the four-star running back decided to change his commitment to the University of Colorado following the recent arrival of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Coach Prime took over the head coaching position on December 3rd, 2022, after developing Jackson State into one of the most talked about programs in the country.

“I’ve known coach Prime since I was four years old,” Edwards told recruiting outlet On3. “He was actually my coach with my dad when I was younger. We are like family. I’m coming to make big plays and to be the best all-purpose player in the country.”

As Edwards moves on to Boulder to continue his gamebreaking football career, it won’t just be his lightning speed that will be missed by the town of Derby.

“We will miss his smile and his leadership,” Clark said. “Dylan is a great young man of character.  He was always willing to give back to his community, his school and his teammates.” 

Kansas Pregame publisher John Baetz called Edwards one of the all-time great offensive football players in Kansas high school football history.

“Edwards and Avery Johnson are truly two of the best players the state of Kansas has ever seen,” Baetz said of the 2022 Kansas Pregame coverboy. “On the list of the very best high school running backs in Kansas history you’ll find names like Darren Sproles, Jake Sharp, DeAngelo Evans, and John Riggins, and Dylan Edwards is certainly in that conversation and at or near the top of that list. He has the potential to make an immediate impact in college, and, with added weight, has the perfect skillset to play in modern NFL offenses and join Sproles, Riggins, and Barry Sanders as some of the best professional players to come from Kansas. I’m excited to watch his progress over the next few years.”